Comfortable
by Mikkeneko
Summary: When Edward comes to turn in a report, Mustang is a little worried at how tired he looks. No pairing.


Title: Comfortable  
Rating: G  
Warnings: fluff  
Summary: Ed submits a report to Mustang.  
Author's Notes:

* * *

Ed's mission reports were always both good and bad. Good, because the boy cut his reading teeth on a diet of scientific papers, so his writing style absorbed all the principles of concise, clear, detailed writing to a greater extent than most adults Roy knew. Bad, because Edward didn't seem to differentiate between reporting what Roy needed to know and reporting what Ed wanted to tell him. His reports were chock full of opinions, complaints, side-stories, anecdotes, and swear words.

Thus Roy had precise and detailed knowledge of Ed's sleeping habits, since the boy never failed to complain about the hardness of train seats, the unsatisfactoriness of cheap inn beds, or the injustice of being forced to sleep in dumps and on streets.

One of the (few) things Ed never complained about, though, was his automail. If Roy stopped to think about it, it was reasonable to think that it must entail a certain amount of discomfort aside from the pain of installation. The heat-draining steel, the raw nerves, the unbalanced, unceasing weight; each contributed its own share of problems.

It wasn't until Ed limped into his office one day, small body obviously filled with pain that he wouldn't admit, that Roy realized how troublesome the automail was for him.

It was somewhat worrisome. Ed should have been growing, his body changing and adjusting, and the combination of automail stress and a lack of decent rest was not good for him. There was no point in saying this to Ed, however; Ed would only react with furious indignation to any further attempt of Roy's to meddle with his life.

That didn't mean that meddling was out of the question, though. Just... covertly.

Roy made a few arrangements, and waited for Ed to come back again.

* * *

Ed was dragging when he reported in, early in the afternoon. Roy noted how stiffly he was holding himself, as if he were fifty instead of fifteen, but didn't offer any comment to that hostile expression. "Your report, Fullmetal?"

Ed tossed it on the desk. Roy barely glanced at it, before going back to the document he'd been working on before Ed came in. "May I go now?" Ed asked, sounding cranky.

"No." Really, the boy's expressions were so much fun to watch. "Stay until I read your report, please."

Ed sighed expressively, then slouched over to Roy's couch and flopped down. The springs squeaked and bounced him slightly, and a startled expression took over Ed's face briefly. "Hey, is this couch new?"

"Perhaps." Deliberately, Roy pushed Ed's report under a stack of loose documents, producing a scowl from Ed. The boy adopted a deliberately casual posture, hands behind his head as he leaned back into the cushion.

"Geez, everybody's complaining about the budget and you go and splurge on fancy office furniture. I swear you're as corrupt as half the officials you send me to weed out. Aren't you going to read my report already?"

"I'll get to it," Roy said, flipping a page disinterestedly. "Be patient."

"Gah!" Ed looked disgusted, then settled in to wait. The clock ticked as he shifted around, tapping his toes, repeatedly looking back at Roy. When Roy continued to make no move towards his report, Ed snorted in disgust and yanked himself sideways on the couch, deliberately putting his boots up on the upholstery. Roy sneaked a peek, and had to hide a grin. His estimates had been correct; Ed was able to stretch out to his full length on the couch, and it was deep enough for him to lie comfortably on his back with room to spare on either side.

"I swear it's a crime," Ed addressed the ceiling. "This is a damn comfortable couch, all soft and springy. And you don't even use it, you bastard. What a waste. You just keep it around to impress people, don...t... you."

"Mmmm." The clock ticked away, but the office soundproofing was good and there were few other sounds. The rain pattered against the window, dimming the sunlight to a dull gray, and the atmosphere was quiet. Peaceful.

Roy risked another glance over at Edward, and sure enough, the boy was asleep, his body fully relaxed into the plush sofa and a blissful expression on his face.

Roy smiled, and tucked Edward's report at the very bottom of his to-do pile.

* * *

end. 


End file.
